St Helens coach Keiron Cunningham has blasted the current video referee system within the sport – saying the way it is going, it is making a mockery of rugby league.
The Saints had three tries disallowed on a frustrating and confusing night for all at the Mend-A-Hose Jungle, but still managed to win 42-38 in a nerve-jangling win against Castleford.
But Cunningham believes that had a Jon Wilkin try been allowed by video referees Richard Silverwood and Chris Kendall at 18-0 to the Saints, the game could have been over.
“This video ref system is just becoming a mockery of rugby league,” Cunningham said. “We’ve got referees making decisions on the field and getting them overturned. The Jon Wilkin no-try was a massive swing for us. At 24-0 it was game over.”
Cunningham also said that video referees may as well take complete charge of the game, saying: “We’ve had three video-ref no tries, which absolutely baffles me. I don’t get the whole system. You might as well not have a referee on the field any more, you might as well just run with a video referee for everything.”
